Un mensaje a Mar de un pino con fertilidad

Mar,
como estas? We havent spoken in a long time. It makes me sad to think that as I write this I try to find an excuse that will justify not writing to you sooner.
But the truth is... school gets in the way of my education and... well... its been crushing me to see alot of things go down the way the have in my home and In my community. Pero a si es la vida no? It beautiful y venceremos!

Te quiero contar un cuentito que he estado pensando por mucho tiempo. I think you will like it much and will savor it as you read it. enjoy!

When I started at Los Angeles Valley college in the fall of 2007 I was excited because I wanted to devour all the knowledge that has been denied to me for 500 years(or five years that It took me to start school again after high school). I remember the first week of school I met Dulce Medina. I was kicking it outside of the Planetarium of our school (kinda like that one picture of James Dean wearing that fugly red jacket that only he can pull off wearing pointing his finger to the floor with one leg over the other) waiting for my Astronomy class to start. I remember that I was reading Neruda at that time. I was reading Pablo Nerudas" Veninte poemas de amor y una cansion desesperada" as I was standing there with my pompador and my skinny jeans wearing a Morrissey shirt the sky seemed sad about to cry.

Sabes, a lot of crazy random but strategically placed events have been happening in my life right now. Im happy to say that I understand one of those events now y te quiero contar...

I never understood the reason why Pablo Neruda writes so much about pine trees! Pines trees this and pine needles that, they smells good, the pines cones are brown! blah blah blah pine cones pine trees! Until a couple of days ago... I found out why he writes so much about them.
Las semillas que se esconden dentro de los arboles de pinos son tan dur@s que aveces no salen de l@s conos. Entonces cuando las semillas de un cono de un pino no se abren pues no tiran las semillas. Hence the seeds don't sprout, trees dont grow. What happens next is amazing! A marvel that the creador@ has done. Pine cones carry the seeds right, but if a pine cone doesn't go thru a fire/wildfire then the seed pods can't open. WHAT A DEAL, WHAT A DEAL!! Imaginate eso! If this seed pod doesn't go thru a wretched fire, a calamity like this, destruction, then it cant liberate its seeds.

This is why our people, all people suffer so much. We need that fire to ignite us, to let our seeds be pollenated by the fire outside and inside of us. The essence of suffrage is the right of passage that we earn to simply learn and remember... exist.

I luv Pablo Neruda slightly more than I used to when I read his stuff now. Echale ganas Mar. Por que to resist is to exist here in this forsakened system.

Thanks for listening and reading Mar. I hope I hear from you soon.

un abrazote rebelde
tu compai,
Xamuel

Teocallis in Teotiuacan

Having dreams of the past comes with lessons.
In this dream I flew out of my bed wearing mi pantalon blanco condisenos de venaditos, Xochitls azules y rojitos, coyolxauhquis negras, Tunatihus brillantes y mi morralito de colores con medicina adentro.
Traveling as fast as the speed of light I left from my home in my reservation I call South Central.
Llegue... llegue a un lugar donde desde arriba del cielo que miraba abajo se miraba como que mucha jente andaba caminando, de rodillas, y asta gatenado. Se acercaban a un centro de energia que no puedia ver de donde estova porque Tonatihu no me dejaba. Me aserco a ver que es que cause tanta emocion y relajo a donde van.
All the people were making their way to what looked like blurs from far but looked huge!
People of all colors and Ethnicities were gathering around these monumental Pyramids.
"AMAZING!" I thought. Our people are coming back to the Teocallis in Teotihuacan!
As I got closer and closer to the people I noticed that the people making their way to these monuments were as a matter of fact my people.

They were all wearing white robs, sandals, and turbans on their heads.

What a sight! I thought. Im looking at my people making their way to the Teocallis. Reality hit, it wasn't my people that I thought. It was actiually Muslims heading to Mecca (In actuality Moors and the Muslim religion is a part of my ancestors. Because the Moors conquered the Spanish and the Spanish annihilated my Anahuakina ancestors. Which means I have Moorish blood)

I quickly thought about my Moor/Muslim blood. it didnt surprise me that I thought I was at Teotihucan because the Teocalis that are in Mexico are very very similar if not identical in architecture to the ones in Afrika. Much of the culture that we have as indigenous people in Anahuak the Afrikans share it with us... drums to do danza, the low meat heavy green diet, the oral traditions, closer connection to da elements and mama earth Tonatzin and of coarse the colonization aspect to their History.

This dream came with a great teaching or point of clarification. If we look at the Pyramids that are in Afrika and compare them to the Teocalis that are in Mexico, we can honestly say that Capitalism has desecrated our Sacred Teocallis in Teotihuacan. Look at the people that go to our sacred sights. Tourist! How come we have let the world desecrate our ceremonial centers in such a way that they have become Touritst attractions. The people of Afrika pay homage to their sacred Pyramids and dont let tourist in to their cites.

Reading the last chapter of Autobiography of Malcom X the night before was probably the reason why I had this dream. It made sense what I was thinking about tourist desecrating the Teocalis. Make the comparison if you be to differ.

If I ever get the honor and privilege to embark on the journey to the sacred Teocalis in Teotihuacan Im taking some corn from the south central farm, making pinoli out of it, some sage from my school, my Turkey feathered copilli, some copal from East Los Angeles and my sweat to give as an an offering. These offerings must be at the top of the Templo mayor as I dance Tonatzin, Tezcalipoca, Hallayote, and Xilone.

Give thanks :]